Life
by Voiceless Rikka
Summary: When Ritsuka begins to feel comfortable with life, everything changes. Soubi becomes his art teacher in order to protect him from someone lurking in the shadows and the rumor of Seimei's return. He also has to worry about Soubi's other dangerous 'job'.
1. Chapter 1

"I am _not_ wearing a dress!" Ritsuka snapped, only feeling slightly bad when he saw Yuiko's expression fall dramatically.

"But Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko wailed, drawing out the last syllable of Ritsuka's name in a high-pitched voice, making him wince, and causing all the kids and adults in the auditorium to stare at them.

It was the beginning of the year play, a time where all the kids got dressed up and threw an enormous production that took nearly three months to prepare for. This year the play was 'Alice in Wonderland' and Yuiko was desperately trying to get Ritsuka to try out for the role of 'Alice'. They had just started a high school that was nearly as large as a college campus. Fortunately, Yuiko's grades had pulled up in the last quarter of eighth grade and she had made it into the same school as Ritsuka and Yayoi.

"Is something wrong, Ritsuka?" Ritsuka felt a hand on his shoulder and his kitten ears twitched in slight annoyance, though not because it was Soubi behind him, but because Yuiko just wasn't going to let up.

Soubi and Ritsuka had been together for two years, now. Their relationship had progressed greatly after what happened at Seven Voices Academy. Ritsuka made a promise to Soubi to never hurt him or leave him, and he was hell-bent on keeping that promise to him, no matter what. He was still quite confused on this concept of 'love', but he knew that he definitely felt something for Soubi, otherwise he wouldn't have made that promise.

Soubi's art class was helping with the decorations plans and the costume preparations, as it was the art class at the nearest university. The play was still in the beginning stages, so no one was putting decorations up just yet, but plans were being made. Ritsuka honestly thought Soubi had something to do with his class coming to Ritsuka's school. He didn't mind, though, since he was happy to spend as much time with Soubi as he could. Needless to say, the young man was really growing on him.

"Don't you think that Ritsuka-kun would make a wonderful Alice, Soubi-san?" Ritsuka groaned, knowing how Soubi was most likely smirking behind him.

"Why, yes, I do think he would. Ritsuka," Soubi gently spun Ritsuka around, looking at him with strangely serious eyes. "Can we talk alone for a few minutes?" Ritsuka just nodded, happy to get away from Yuiko.

"What's up?" Ritsuka asked Soubi once they exited the auditorium through a lesser known back door. Soubi was being oddly serious and the expression on his face was terrifyingly unreadable.

Soubi gave him the slightest of smiles and Ritsuka's worries let up a little. Unlike most of the kids in the theater, Ritsuka was very different. For one, he was Sacrifice. Not only that, but his loving, gentle, significant other was the young, outstandingly attractive college student he had just stepped out back with. Ritsuka's worries were more than who was going to get the main part in the Alice play, or if he'd be able to get to the next class before the bell rang. His greatest worry was whether or not Soubi was going to come back after one of his assignments, or if and when Seimei, his brother, was going to drop back into their lives and disrupt them.

The thought of Soubi's 'assignments' brought dark thoughts to Ritsuka's mind. "Soubi…" Ritsuka tugged the man downwards a little by his collar, Ritsuka matching his seriousness, now. "Please, _please_, don't tell me you got called for another assignment."

Ritsuka had learned not long after the incident at Seven Voices that Soubi worked as a mercenary for Septimal Moon. After the incident, Ritsuka had learned from Seven and Ritsu-sensei that Septimal Moon was like the government for Fighters and Sacrifices. Soubi had apologized excessively about not being able to tell him, but, by then, Ritsuka finally understood the power Seimei had over Soubi, even though Soubi didn't want it. Soon after that, Soubi got called away for three days, although he wouldn't tell Ritsuka what for, which had resulted in a huge fight between them. Three days after leaving, Soubi came back, extremely injured and half-dead. Ritsuka had taken him to the hospital, where everything had come out.

Septimal Moon only recruited mercenaries based on skill. Not just fighting skill, but also targeting skill, tracking skill, and, finally, intelligence and the ability to use it. Soubi perfectly fit all of those and he admitted that he was one of the top mercenaries they had. It paid very well and it was the only sort of job Soubi could keep for more than a month. He took weird, low-paying random jobs sometimes, but he usually got himself fired for having 'no people skills' or 'bad social skills', which Ritsuka thought was a little unfair. His most recent real job had been teaching art to little kids, which Ritsuka had not known until Soubi got depressed after getting fired yet again for his 'cold, antisocial personality'. It was probably a good thing that Soubi was an artist.

Soubi had gone away on mercenary work five times in just the past three months. His missions were to bring back a Fighter who had usually gone insane or one that had been on an unjustified killing spree. He was supposed to bring them back dead or alive, though, from the sound of it, Soubi unfortunately leaned more towards dead due to his temperament and since he was a highest level mercenary who was only hired to bring down great threats. Ritsuka greatly disapproved of his work, not because it was violent, but because he was never sure if Soubi would be coming home or not. When he did come home, he was usually badly injured. It was like having a family member away in the army. Perhaps it was even worse.

"Ritsuka…I did get a call."

Ritsuka's expression fell, just as Yuiko's had minutes before. Her greatest worry was getting Ritsuka to play Alice. Ritsuka's was his boyfriend coming back home and not getting killed by an insane Fighter who would murder anything in their way.

"Soubi, _please_," Ritsuka begged softly. "Don't take the job. Don't go. At least take me with you."

Having to not know whether or not Soubi was alive for weeks while he was gone was horrible, especially when they were the closest they'd ever been. Ritsuka spent all the time he could with Soubi, his protector and lover.

"Ritsuka, let me explain," Soubi had one of Ritsuka's hands in his own, holding it tightly. "I got a call about a threat in this area. Nobody can tell me anything except that they're after you. I don't know why, and I don't know who, but I can assume who they're working for and I'm sure you can, too."

Ritsuka nodded, hugging Soubi and pressing himself against his strong chest. He was a little taller, now, so he could reach higher on Soubi, though his head was still a few inches below the man's shoulders.

It was obvious that his brother was back. He had let them have two years almost, but now he was back. It was the worst time, just when Ritsuka was finally feeling fully comfortable with Soubi. Couldn't Seimei just leave them alone?

"It's alright," Soubi soothed, his voice quiet in Ritsuka's ear. "I'll protect you. If it's not…actually him, I can fight them." Ritsuka took comfort in him. As long as Soubi was going to stay with him and keep him from getting hurt, then it would all turn out okay. If he didn't leave Ritsuka, then the Sacrifice would keep on being happy.

"You won't leave?" Ritsuka needed to know, just for confirmation.

"I won't leave," Soubi promised, looking straight into Ritsuka's eyes.

The next day, Ritsuka was in for a surprise. The previous day had been ordinary, with the exception of what Soubi had told him. Soubi had taken Ritsuka back home to his mother and Ritsuka had gotten off with just a few slaps. He had gone to his room to find Soubi waiting for him, like usual, and he had helped Ritsuka with his homework and they had kissed when Soubi had to leave.

It happened when Ritsuka arrived at his art class, a class that he was forced to take by the school. Oddly enough, it was in a regular classroom. Their teacher had recently run off due to personal problems and they were supposed to meet their new teacher today. This was Ritsuka's least favorite class, the one he did the worst in and the one he had with none of his friends. The old teacher had hated him and given him low marks for bad artistic ability.

Ritsuka _should_ have noticed something wrong when he saw the crowd of giggling girls outside the door, peaking inside and then whispering furiously. But, of course, he didn't and walked straight inside, wondering if this new teacher would like him better than his old teacher. Once he was inside, he glanced up before finding a seat and stopped, frozen.

Their teacher was none other than the tall blonde mercenary/artist Ritsuka knew very well. Soubi.

* * *

Please review it if you like it. Feel free to point out anything!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

Ritsuka could only stare at the man sitting at the teacher desk in the far corner on the room. _I must be hallucinating this_, he thought, but a glance at the whiteboard told him differently. Soubi's name was written in blue marker, making it obvious that he was their new teacher.

_What the hell are you doing here?_ Ritsuka wanted to ask, staring wide-eyed at his new teacher. How could he have gotten this job? Soubi could never keep a job for more than a month. There was no way a school like this could hire someone with a job history like his. Secondly, Soubi couldn't teach kids. He wasn't a pedophile like everyone made him out to be. In fact, he didn't even _like _kids. He wouldn't be able to teach them.

Soubi glanced up from whatever he was doing and met Ritsuka's eyes, flashing a brilliant, knowing smile at him. Ritsuka glared at him, his face going red just as the other kids started filing in. He quickly took his seat in the back, watching as the girls in the class took the front seats, whispering still about their new teacher.

Now he'd never pass this class and he'd have to take it again next year. Soubi would be extremely distracting to have as a teacher, especially when Ritsuka was _this_ attracted to him. He should just drop the class now.

"Good morning, class!" Ritsuka groaned a little and put his head down on the desk at Soubi's enthusiastic voice. He heard footsteps and he assumed that Soubi had moved to the front of the classroom. "I'm your new teacher. I assume you all know that your old teacher ran off after being chased by loan sharks."

Soubi could be an idiot, but he obviously knew that he wasn't supposed to say anything about what happened to their old teacher. Ritsuka rolled his eyes, keeping his head down, his kitten ears flattening against his head.

"This is my first time teaching high schoolers," Soubi went on, making his second mistake. The boys in the class would strive to terrorize him since this was his first year teaching and he had willingly admitted it. "I only teach two periods of students."

_He did this on purpose! _Ritsuka looked up again, glaring at Soubi. _He took this class period on purpose! _Ritsuka had told Soubi of his teacher running off and he had also said what period he took art. He had never expected Soubi to do this! He knew that Soubi was crazy, but this was just insane!

Ritsuka pulled out a piece of paper from his stack of books and wrote in all capital English letters '_WHY ARE YOU HERE?' _The kid that sat next to him stared, though he obviously didn't read English. Soubi did, on the other hand, so he'd be able to understand Ritsuka's distress.

Soubi soon instructed the kids to draw whatever was on their minds as he explained class rules and went over what the semester would be like. Ritsuka was unable to take his mind off of Soubi and how attractive he looked today, dressed up all nice and… Ritsuka shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all those dirty thoughts that were trying to resurface.

Soubi and Ritsuka were extremely emotionally close, which had recently led to them getting physically closer. The first time anything had happened between the two of them (of course, Ritsuka had been having sexual fantasies about a year prior) was when Soubi had gotten home from his last mercenary job, one that had taken Soubi away from nearly a month with only the notorious text message every few days. It had only been about a week and a half ago and it still made Ritsuka blush every time he thought about it.

Ritsuka had gotten done with treating Soubi's many wounds and had been sitting on top of him, kissing him to take some of the pain away. One thing had led to another and before Ritsuka knew it, Ritsuka was yelling out in pleasure as Soubi rubbed his cock and grinded him from behind.

"Are you sick, Aoyagi-san?" Ritsuka hadn't even realized that he had put his head down on his desk again until Soubi had spoken. "Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"No, Sou—" Ritsuka caught himself quickly before saying Soubi's first name. Strangely enough, Soubi had never used any sort of honorific with him, not even when they met. Ritsuka had done the same. In fact, the only time Soubi ever added something to someone's name was when the other person did it or if he had to (such as calling a teacher 'sensei'). In a classroom environment, though, Ritsuka wouldn't be able to call Soubi 'Soubi', and Soubi couldn't call Ritsuka 'Ritsuka'. They would have to settle for 'Aoyagi-san' and 'Agatsuma-sensei'. "…Agatsuma-sensei. I'm feeling _fine_."

That, if anything, was a complete fabrication. The memory of the night from a week and a half ago had left Ritsuka hot and bothered and with a raging erection that was already quite uncomfortable. Ritsuka wasn't fine. He was confused and frustrated that Soubi had gotten a teaching job here, and, to add onto his list of current issues, he had a hard-on in the middle of class! Could this day get _any_ worse?

"Can I see what you drew, then?" Soubi's voice was gentle, yet firm. He gently tugged the paper out of Ritsuka's hands. Ritsuka glared at him, as he hadn't wanted Soubi to see the terribly drawn butterfly he had sketched so that he wouldn't get a bad grade. Then again…that _was_ the paper Ritsuka had written on.

Soubi's expression turned more serious once he read the words and he silently wrote back a reply, handing the paper back to Ritsuka and moving on to the next student. Below Ritsuka's question Soubi had written in perfect English '_I'm here to protect you_'. Next to it, Soubi had written in Japanese '_see me after class._' The boy sitting next to Ritsuka laughed, leaning over to read the Japanese part and then said something to his friend. Ritsuka shot them both dirty looks.

The bell rang and the class rushed out, overly excited for the freshman lunch period. Ritsuka stayed in his seat, refusing to get up since his arousal still hadn't gone away. He watched Soubi cross the room and shut the door and then turn to him.

"Are you mad?"

Ritsuka sighed. "I _was_," He told him. '_I'm here to protect you_' Soubi had wrote, telling Ritsuka in five words why he was there. There was someone in the area after Ritsuka. Soubi had somehow gotten this job so that he could make sure that the threat wasn't in the school. "But not anymore. Though…I am wondering how _the hell_ you got here."

Soubi looked at him innocently, "I drove." Ritsuka couldn't help but to smile. Leave it to Soubi to make some smart-ass remark in a situation where it didn't belong.

"That's not what I meant," Ritsuka crossed his legs, attempting to hide his arousal from Soubi.

"I got Ritsu to do it," Soubi looked disgusted when he said Ritsu's name, just like always. "Ritsuka," Ritsuka was squirming in his seat a little, failing to take notice of the smirk on Soubi's lips. "Come here."

"N-No!" Ritsuka said a little too fast. He shut his eyes tightly, thinking about some math equation to take his mind off of how good Soubi's hands would feel on him right about now. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't hear Soubi come up behind him.

"It's not good to get a hard-on in school, Ritsuka," Ritsuka's eyes shot open again at Soubi's deep voice in his ear and he fought back a groan. This was all Soubi's fault anyways…

"Shut up," Ritsuka groaned, feeling Soubi press a few kisses on his neck. This was just making it worse.

"I'll take care of it," Soubi whispered in his kitten ear, nipping at it. "This is your lunch period, right? You can have half of my lunch when we're done, if you want." Ritsuka looked down, embarrassed by how much he actually wanted to spend this school period with Soubi. He slowly nodded, and Soubi took his hand and pulled him upwards, pushing him against the wall in the far corner of the room and kissing him. Soubi pressed up against him, his talented tongue already deep inside Ritsuka's mouth and making the boy want to cum without even being touched.

Ritsuka was extremely inexperienced and they had only done sexual activities twice before. Soubi was an amazing, talented lover, even more so than Ritsuka had expected. He never mocked or teased Ritsuka because the boy tended to finish very quickly and he was always so gentle and able to talk Ritsuka through it.

"Soubi, _please_," Ritsuka was unsure of what he was begging for, but he immediately started doing so right after they stopped kissing.

"Relax, Ritsuka," Soubi's voice was soft, which was a reflection of how his touches were. "If you want me to stop, just tell me, okay?" Ritsuka, unable to find his own voice, nodded again. He loved the way Soubi talked to him during sex. He never teased or forced Ritsuka into anything, but he clearly knew Ritsuka was nervous still, only more so that he was with an older man, not a boy his own age. "I won't do anything you don't want me to. Oh, you might want to lean on the wall."

Ritsuka did as Soubi told him to, vaguely aware that they were doing this in a classroom where anybody could walk in. It was windowless classroom (another thing Soubi had probably done on purpose) and they were out of the viewpoint of the glass panes on the door, but Soubi probably hadn't locked it.

Before Ritsuka could think anything about telling Soubi about how dangerous this was, he felt his uniform pants getting undone and his hard cock being pulled out. He gasped loudly at Soubi's soft, light touch, leaning heavily against the wall so he wouldn't collapse.

"You're really hard…how long have you been like this?" Soubi leaned in, capturing Ritsuka's lips in a light, chaste kiss.

"Since…since the beginning of class," Ritsuka answered, feeling embarrassed to be having such feelings for Soubi.

"It's alright, Ritsuka. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Soubi soothed, calming Ritsuka's nervousness almost immediately. Ritsuka relaxed, paying attention to Soubi's fingers as they danced on his hot, hard flesh, stroking it and making pleasure shoot through Ritsuka. "Can I try something a little more? I promise it won't hurt."

"Go ahead," Ritsuka trusted him. If Soubi said it wasn't going to hurt, then it wouldn't hurt. He didn't really know what he expected, maybe for Soubi to try fingering him a little, but it certainly wasn't for him to get on his knees and start licking and kissing Ritsuka's erection. Ritsuka's hand flew to his mouth in order to muffle a loud, high pitched moan. Oh god, Soubi was going to blow him. This already felt better than getting a handjob from him, and that felt amazing.

Soubi stopped, but only to take his dress coat off and to undo his tie and the first few buttons on his shirt. He went back to his previous task, then, continuing to run his tongue up and down Ritsuka's length. Ritsuka noticed that with one hand, Soubi had his own big, swollen cock out, touching himself while he got Ritsuka off. Nothing in the world could ever be hotter or better than the site in front of the young Sacrifice at that moment.

And then Soubi slowly took him in his mouth and began to gently suck and Ritsuka was gone. He watched Soubi through half-closed eyes, unable to look away from him on his knees, sucking Ritsuka while he jerked himself off. It was too much, just too much.

Ritsuka always came quickly, unable to stand being pleasured by such a sexy man for a very long time. The second time they had decided to do something, Soubi had made Ritsuka cum the first time by just sucking on his nipples. Of course, Ritsuka had been humiliated, then, but Soubi hadn't minded and had asked if he was up for another round. Ritsuka had at least three orgasms that night, but none had been nearly this bone shattering and exhilarating.

Ritsuka hadn't been in Soubi's mouth for very long, probably less than a minute, before he was covering his mouth to keep from screaming his partner's name. He came violently, spilling wave after wave and seeing stars in his head. He threw his head back against the wall, his fingers knotting in Soubi's hair. Soubi didn't seem to mind at all, as he swallowed Ritsuka's seed and licked the remains off of his softening cock. Ritsuka sank down against the wall, sitting on the floor. Soubi took his hand, rubbing it softly.

"Soubi, your hand is sticky…" Ritsuka muttered dumbly, not exactly complaining, just pointing it out. He pulled his boxers back over his cock, buttoning his pants back up so that at least he was fully clothed.

"Sorry," Soubi pulled his hand away. "Give me a minute. I'm going to clean up."

Clean up? There wasn't anything _to _clean up. Soubi had swallowed all of Ritsuka's semen and… _oh_. Ritsuka opened his eyes a little, realizing what the sticky stuff on Soubi's hand was and why he had to clean up. He watched Soubi wipe his hands with disinfectant wipes and then bring the box of them over to the spot where Ritsuka was sitting. Feeling bad, Ritsuka helped his wipe up the white, thick liquid on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Ritsuka apologized. "I should've done something for you, too."

Soubi smiled at him and Ritsuka felt himself go red. He loved it when Soubi smiled, since he loved to make Soubi happy and it made his heart beat faster to see him like that. "It's alright. Pleasuring you, Ritsuka, is more than enough."

Ritsuka knew Soubi wasn't lying, but he still felt a bit selfish. He smirked, coming up with a perfect solution, "I'll make it up to you later, okay?"

This obviously surprised Soubi a little, since he stopped wiping the nearly-clean tile floor for a moment. Ritsuka threw his wipe in the small pile they had made and sat back, tired as ever. He heard Soubi go throw away the wipes, though he threw a bag into Ritsuka's lap once he came back. Ritsuka looked at it as Soubi settled down next to him, both of them sitting on the floor against the wall.

"Half of my lunch," Soubi explained. "I thought you might want it."

Ritsuka nodded his appreciation, leaning on Soubi, a question coming to his mind. "Does this mean no more mercenary work?" He asked, praying for Soubi to say yes.

"For the time being, yes," Soubi answered, making Ritsuka's hopes soar for a moment before plummeting back down.

Ritsuka unwrapped the sandwich with shaking hands, giving half to Soubi. "And after that?" Any person who would've walked in at that time could have assumed they were having a semi-normal conversation. Ritsuka kept his voice completely level, not letting any of the turmoil he was suffering into it.

Soubi was silent.

Ritsuka wanted to cry, desperate to have Soubi understand. His eyes watered and got blurry, threatening to have the tears fall. He looked up at Soubi, dropping his levelheaded, unfazed façade, hoping that this way Soubi would realize the kind of pain he put him through every time he left. He didn't understand. He couldn't.

"Don't cry…"

Ritsuka took a deep, shaking breath, afraid that he was going to reduce to an incoherent mess of shaking sobs if he didn't get it together. "You…" Ritsuka spoke slowly to keep himself remotely composed. "You have no idea what it's like for me to stay here and not know if you're dead or alive. I cry myself to sleep almost every night when you go because I don't know whether or not you'll be coming back home. I don't _want_ you to die. I know that you're the best mercenary they have and that you're an amazing Fighter, too, but I still get worried."

"I…Ritsuka, I'm sorry…I'll see what I can do, I promise."

That was good enough for now, Ritsuka decided as he leaned against Soubi, thoroughly satisfied with what had happened after class and even looking forward to having Soubi as his new art teacher.

* * *

Merry Christmas, everyone! Thanks for the reviews! Keep it up, please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

"Thank you for the extra help, Agatsuma-sensei!" Ritsuka called back at Soubi, making it seem like to the other kids that Soubi had simply helped him with something. That way none of the kids would guess what really had been going on.

Ritsuka still felt dizzy from having been blown by Soubi. He was exhausted, though pleasantly relaxed. The only downside was that he wouldn't be able to get Soubi off of his mind, now, but that was normal. It wasn't uncommon for Ritsuka to think about him all day long until Soubi came to pick him up or he saw him again.

Soubi called a short good-bye to him, also keeping it discrete. They were going to have to be careful about what they called each other and how they acted around each other in school. Actually, it was probably just going to be Ritsuka who was going to have problems. Soubi was able to pull off a perfect façade that he didn't know Ritsuka, while the boy had nearly called him by his first name in front of the entire class and had gotten aroused during the lesson. That wasn't only embarrassing, but if Soubi hadn't taken care of it, Ritsuka would've been suspended and maybe even expelled. Ritsuka had to try to get the dirty thoughts out of his head if he wanted Soubi to keep his job.

If anybody caught them, Soubi would get fired instantly and probably be arrested for pedophilia. The police wouldn't listen to Ritsuka insisting that Soubi had never raped him, never touched him without asking, and had never forced him into anything. They would just accuse Soubi of poisoning Ritsuka's mind. Soubi was strong and tough, but those labeled child molesters weren't treated very well in prison. Even if the police didn't throw Soubi in jail, he would be registered as a sex offender and Ritsuka would never be allowed to see him again. Not only that, but Natsuo and Youji would be forced to move out because of it, too.

Soubi already had enough problems holding onto a job, already. He didn't need anything else that could make him lose his job. Soubi appeared to be keeping his antisocial, sarcastic personality at bay, but he did have quite the temper. It wasn't easy to make him mad, but when Soubi snapped, he _snapped_. That was why Ritsuka was worried about the boys in his class. It wasn't because they would terrorize Soubi, it was because he was afraid of what he would do if they actually pissed him off.

Having this job kept Soubi out of mercenary work. This kept him close to Ritsuka. He didn't care that there was someone after him, not when he had Soubi looking after him.

"Hey, Loveless!" Ritsuka groaned at hearing Youji yell his 'real' name from all the way down the hallways. They raced towards him, nearly taking him down in the middle of the hallway.

Natsuo was all-grins as he hugged him, "Where were you during lunch? We were looking for you, but your other friends said they didn't know where you were."

"I was with Soubi," Ritsuka answered mindlessly, not realizing his mistake until it was too late.

"You needed to see me?" Soubi entered the dark room far under the school, highly annoyed at the man inside. The room was nearly pitch black and eerily large, with the only light source being the computer screen. The man that Soubi had only talked to own the phone sat at the large oak desk, his eyes reflecting what was on the screen. Soubi assumed that he was looking at Soubi's own profile.

"Shut the door, Soubi," The man's voice sounded the same as it did on the phone, darkly curious and perpetually amused and careless. This was Soubi's employer, a man who worked closely with Ritsu and who had never shown his face to Soubi before.

"Don't speak to me so casually," Soubi growled. He was this man's equal, not below him. Never below him. He didn't even respect him. How could he when this was the person who had him leave Ritsuka for weeks and weeks to pursue some criminal Fighter who was usually gone insane?

"Fine, then, _Agatsuma_, or do you prefer a honorific, too?" He finally looked at Soubi after he closed and locked the heavy door. "My, my…I never imagined our top mercenary to be such an _attractive _man."

Soubi just glared at him harder, watching as his boss got up and looked Soubi up and down, that _damn_ arrogant, conceited smirk on his face. Soubi was taller than him and obviously much younger. The other was still tall and in his late thirties (thirty-seven, Soubi guessed) with graying hair and light gray eyes. He was lean, though he didn't look too strong. Soubi noticed that he leaned slightly on his right side, meaning that he probably had problems with his left hip/leg, which was uncommon for a middle-aged man.

"Your profile here says you have an extremely high IQ. Care to share?"

Soubi really did hate this man, even more because he was talking down to him. He had another class to teach, one that, sadly, did not include his cute little Sacrifice. What he wanted was not to be talking to this man, but to be (preferably alone) with Ritsuka, especially after their last session in the classroom…

"If I show you, will you let me leave?"

The older man's smile only widened and the amusement on his face became more apparent. "Perhaps I may let-"

"You're a mercenary yourself," Soubi began, taking information he had processed just from looking at him and putting it into words. "But you got injured. I'm guessing you refused to have your left leg amputated after injury and now you walk with a limp due to the dead muscles. You're thirty-seven to thirty-eight years old and a Fighter. You don't show your face to others since if someone knows your face, they can instantly pick you out and kill you, and that wouldn't be good for your business, would it?"

"Very impressive," His boss purred after a minute. "Better than I suspected. I called you down here so that I could explain your new job and what you're looking for. First, tell me, how do you kill? A gun? A spell? What's your weapon of choice?"

Soubi looked at his watch, drumming his fingers impatiently on the desk in front of him as he tried to figure out the relevance of the question. "Spells, mostly," Soubi answered, careful not to divulge too much information, knowing that could be dangerous, even if this man was on his side. "Ritsu makes me carry a gun though. I rarely use it, though. Other than spells, I use my hands."

He didn't like to remember the missions he had been sent out on, since most included him taking someone's life. Most other Fighters would describe Soubi as ruthless and heartless, but he did have a heart and didn't enjoy taking another's life. All he could think about afterwards was what if that person had had someone that loved them, someone that cared about them like Ritsuka cared about Soubi? What if that person had had kids? Soubi did have a conscience. He couldn't kill without regret.

Ritsuka really hated it when he got called away. He was always there when Soubi came back, though, ready to treat whatever wounds he had and to shower him with affection which almost took the pain away. Cute, little Ritsuka. Seeing him always made everything so much better.

"Good," The black-haired man seemed satisfied. "I suppose you would like my name. Just call me, Seiji, like everyone else does. I am your employer and the man who got you this job."

"Tell me something I don't know," Soubi muttered, anxious to leave. Fortunately, thoughts of Ritsuka were keeping him from lashing out at Seiji. Ritsuka was always so adorable when he was aroused. Adorable and sexy, with that undeniably aroused look on his face and his little kitten ears down and his black uniform pants bulging.

"I bet you're wondering how you got your job here."

Soubi snapped out of his blissful think of Ritsuka and turned his attention back to the man with the answers. Once he had heard that there was someone in this area coming after Ritsuka, Soubi had applied for a job at the large high school and had asked for Ritsu's help, which was something he would only do in a situation like this. He knew that the school was safe and that it was much more than just a school, which was why he had repeatedly insisted that Ritsuka test into it.

"I got it for you," Seiji explained, his tone falling serious. "The school is just a façade for what _really _goes on here. We're running something much larger here. As a result, the school is very heavily protected. But, as you know, there has been a breech in security, which is why you're here. There's a threat here, someone after your Aoyagi Ritsuka, someone who we have received messages from. Who better to catch them than our _dearest_, most valuable asset—ah, I mean _mercenary_?"

This man was not ranking highly on the list of people Soubi liked. He was an arrogant jerk, one who thought he was better and higher up than everyone else for some reason. Something about him just made Soubi want to hit him more and more with every word he spoke. He would tell Seiji to go to hell, if only he wasn't sure he was going there himself.

"However!" Seiji stood, his expression reminding Soubi so much of Ritsu's. "You will have to play by the rules. My rules. I will bend them considerably for you, but you still must follow them. First off, you are allowed to 'fool around' with Aoyagi, since he is your Sacrifice, but if you are caught with any other student, you will be fired."

"That's not a problem," Soubi said, half to himself. He really wasn't a pedophile, since there was only one child he was interested in. Ritsuka was different from all the other teenagers and kids. He was beautiful and smart and mature, though he could be stubborn and childish at time, but Soubi loved that about him, too. He didn't even _like_ children. They were all so conceited and foolish, two traits that Soubi could not stand. He might be a pervert, but he was definitely _not_ a pedophile.

"Good. Next," Seiji went on. "You will keep all your senses alert at all times for an intruder. If they get in and you miss them while you are in the school, even if their presence is masked, you will be fired. You also must teach three class periods, but no more since it would get in the way of your university work. Lastly, you must report back to me, not the principal. Not even he really knows what goes on in this school."

Soubi nodded, "Is that all?"

"For now it is. You're dismissed."

"Soubi?" Youji repeated, pulling Ritsuka by the hand towards the next class, a class that the three of them shared. Youji and Natsuo had somehow gotten the exact same schedule so that they had every class with each other. Ritsuka had three classes with them, not counting lunch.

"They probably met up in the theater during lunch," Natsuo suggested playfully. "That's rather romantic, don't you think? Doesn't Soubi like that kind of romance stuff?"

"You do, too," Youji teased before Ritsuka could say anything. Natsuo was right, anyways. Soubi was a romantic, and undeniably so. Ritsuka was a little embarrassed to admit that he liked that.

"Maybe!" Natsuo sang, drawing the attention of many people in the hallway. Ritsuka imagined that they were quite the scene, a short boy being flanked by two very eccentric boys, one of them holding onto his hand and the other linking arms with him.

"I bet they just met outside by the dumpster and made out for the entire class period. Doesn't _that_ sound romantic?" Youji mocked, leaning in towards Natsuo. Ritsuka prayed to a god that he didn't believe in that they wouldn't start kissing in the middle of the hallway.

"Silly," Natsuo retaliated. "Ritsuka couldn't make out with Soubi for forty minutes without getting aroused!"

"Hey!" Ritsuka snapped, having had enough of their conversation. He had just planned to let them speculate on his and Soubi's relationship like usual, but didn't they realize they were in the middle of a hallway? They really didn't need to get into Ritsuka and Soubi's sex life, anyways.

"You're right!" Youji said rather loudly, ignoring Ritsuka. "Soubi would have had to take care of little Ritsuka's _problem_, wouldn't he?"

"Stop it," Ritsuka growled, warning them. "Soubi's my new _art teacher_. I have no idea how he got the job here. And yes, I did spend my lunch period with him."

Both Zeroes looked equally surprised, though neither of them skipped a beat in their mocking.

"Did his deep voice get you aroused during class?"

"Did you two do something in the classroom?"

"Did anyone catch you?"

Ritsuka sighed, knowing they were never going to stop.

"Why won't you try out for Alice, Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko whined as they walked down the hallway to the theater were Ritsuka would finally get to see Soubi again after a long four hours.

"Because it's a _girl's_ part!" Ritsuka nearly shouted, wanting her to realize the obvious. He was anxious to see Soubi again and to ask if he had any more information on whoever was out to get Ritsuka and how they were connected to Seimei. Ritsuka had an assassin after him and Yuiko was worried about him playing some girl who falls down a damn rabbit hole. It was like they lived in two different universes.

At least Ritsuka knew Soubi was safe now. As long as he had this job, he wouldn't have to do any mercenary work. If he could hold onto this job, Ritsuka wouldn't have to worry about him coming back home for a while. It put his mind at rest, knowing he could just be with Soubi now without having to wonder if Soubi wouldn't be there to hold onto the next day.

Ritsuka's mood picked up a little as he thought about going home with Soubi. It was what he usually did. He rarely went back to the Aoyagi household, as his mother had completely lost her sanity and would either nearly beat him to death when he came home or she would just ignore him. Soubi's house/flat had become his home, a place where he was safe and lived most of the time.

"_Please_?" Yuiko begged. "Some kids in the university art class showed me the dress today. It's _beautiful_, Ritsuka-kun! You have to try it on!"

Ritsuka groaned, picking up the pace a little. The hallway was nearly empty, as both Yuiko and Ritsuka were late, though the theater director/teacher never cared. She barely even did anything. Ritsuka only took the class because Soubi told him that his class would be helping out with the play, and that gave him an excuse to see Soubi more. He shared this class with Yuiko, Yayoi, and both Natsuo and Youji, but that wasn't the reason why this, his last period, was his favorite. He liked it because of Soubi. He liked catching his eye in the middle of reading the script and seeing Soubi smile at him and _only him_. Or when Soubi would discretely ask him to talk to him about decorations or the script and he would take him backstage or outside to hug him or kiss him. The girls in the class swooned over him and how attractive he was, but Ritsuka knew that Soubi would never look at any of them in the way that he looked at Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko waved her hands in front of Ritsuka's face, trying to get him to snap out of his trance.

"Yes, that's fine!" Ritsuka snapped, not realizing what he agreed to until Yuiko squealed loudly and bounced the last few steps into the theater, babbling on and on incomprehensibly about the dress Ritsuka had agreed to wear. Maybe Soubi would like the dress…

"Good afternoon, Ritsuka," Ritsuka turned once he was on stage to see Soubi, who he had seen that morning, casually leaning against the wall, smirking with his arms crossed. Ritsuka flushed, remembering their earlier activities and noticing immediately that Soubi had changed into jeans a tight black shirt with a low neckline that showed off his well-muscled chest. Ritsuka couldn't help but to just stare at him. Soubi, an older man and an unquestionable romantic, was making Ritsuka fall for him.

No…no! He would _not_ think about that. Not now. He would put it off until he was forced to come to terms with his feelings for Soubi. All he knew and would admit to now was that he was in a romantic and sexual relationship with him and that he cared for Soubi very much and had romantic feelings towards him. They were very, very close, emotionally closer than any other couple Ritsuka had ever seen. He would not admit or come to terms with anything more than that. He was not going to confess his real feelings. He was not going to tell Soubi that he loved him.

_But I do_, some traitor part of his mind told him. _I love him more than anything else._ Ritsuka chased those thoughts away, going to Soubi and giving him a quick hug, pulling away before anyone could see them. This was enough for now. Ritsuka and Soubi were both happy, so there was no reason to take unnecessary leaps. To tell Soubi 'I love you' would be a step too quick. They had just advanced their relationship after the incident at Seven Voices and they were gradually advancing even more at a pace that was comfortable with them both.

"Yuiko got me to agree to trying on the Alice dress," Ritsuka muttered to Soubi, frowning. The gears in his head were turning, though, and he had to fight the smirk off of his face as he planned out the evening.

Soubi's expression turned curious, "Oh? I think you'd make a wonderful Alice. Isn't it a musical? You sing in the shower sometimes. I think you have a great voice. You should go try the dress on and schedule an audition."

_I have better ideas of what to do with that dress_. Ritsuka nodded, turning away and going backstage with Yuiko, smirking the entire time.

* * *

Oh look, plot. I swear, there's an actual plot in this story.

Sorry I don't update this story much. I'm busy with other fics. I'm sort of wondering if anyone can guess my other identity on here.

Anyways, I love you guys! Thanks for all the reviews! Please keep reviewing!


End file.
